Home › Forums › Random Thoughts › Listing items you are completely not interested in listing
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sonia.
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01/02/2019 at 1:39 pm #54385
What do you do with items you’re completely not interested in listing?
I sometimes have days where I will list through a whole box of items that are completely boring to me, and then feel better that they’re listed and something I no longer have to think about until they sell. However, there are items that just sit there and make me feel bad for buying them in the first place. This could be due to not having enough knowledge of the item and not wanting to develop it, worrying about whether it is fake or not, the size and bulk of the item when it comes to shipping, an excuse you can think of.
For the items you have that have been sitting for a few months with little to no intention of being listed, do you:
donate them back to the thrift store?
list them?
toss them?
sell to another seller?
just let them sit unlisted for an indefinite amount of time?I partially ask because of the new buy/sell/trade forum on here. If you get to the point of listing them for sale on here, you might as well just go all the way and create a listing for them directly on ebay. However, there is storage space to consider for them when they’re listed, shipping them when they sell, etc,. and getting to the point of even just wanting to type out what they are to be listed in the first place.
How do you motivate yourself? Even generalists must feel exasperation with items sometimes, let alone us niche dwellers stuck in our ways.
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01/02/2019 at 1:42 pm #54386
However, there are items that just sit there and make me feel bad for buying them in the first place. This could be due to not having enough knowledge of the item and not wanting to develop it, worrying about whether it is fake or not, the size and bulk of the item when it comes to shipping, an excuse you can think of.
This is the perfect description of a “death pile”.
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01/02/2019 at 1:47 pm #54387
I so feel your dilemma! My house is over flowing with unlisted items that aren’t interesting to me. Recently I’ve starting working through them, listing what I feel like and donating back to thrift store what I don’t. I know I’m loosing money on the items BUT I’m not loosing my mind over seeing them sit stagnant. I’ve also given myself permission to leave an item at the thrift store that I know will sell but don’t enjoy listing. I’m retired. I love my eBay business and I’m still learning how to let go of things that don’t bring me joy.
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01/02/2019 at 1:54 pm #54388
I had bags of clothing from one of my parents friends that had been sitting around for months. Individually, each piece would be less than $10, so I decided to lot them up. I organized them by size or brand or color and then was able to list them quicker.
Other stuff, I’ve donated or thrown out. The last of my death pile is stuff that I need to repair or test. I have some bar signs that I really should have listed as nonworking and let the buyer get them fixed. I’ve finally bought most of the parts, and I’m going to just make goals each week or month to make a little progress here and there.
So there are many strategies, and I guess you have to decide which one is appropriate for each item.
What do you mean by “the new buy/sell/trade forum on here”?
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01/02/2019 at 7:06 pm #54411
i created a buy/sell/trade forum subject here–
https://www.scavengerlife.com/forums/forum/buying-and-selling/buying-selling-trading-post/
have stuff you want to sell, have things you’re always looking for, want to trade with fellow scavengers? that’s the forum for it.
the first post is someone (near us) selling their entire store. so i guess it’s needed!
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01/03/2019 at 6:18 am #54430
I think the new forum is a really good idea! Now that I’ve come to terms with not ever wanting to list these items, I wish I could fill a huge box full of them and send them off to another scavenger. I figure just the box alone would cost $30-50 for all my boring items thanks to the size and weight of the boots? Meh. Might as well thrift for cheaper similar items, if someone’s interested in those type of items.
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01/03/2019 at 8:36 am #54438
maybe there is a scavenger nearby that would pick up a box in person? or you could put it on craigslist? i hear you, i want to sell everything even if it’s boring to me (glass and china!). but it’s no fun listing it at times.
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01/03/2019 at 7:53 am #54431
Sharyn: Was this something you did a while back or just recently? The reason I ask, what type of success have you had, sold any and at about what price each.
I pulled 2 trunk size tubs, 2 smaller bins and 4 shopping bags full of clothes our daughter gave us and they have just been sitting for over a year. We don’t do clothes except for a few jackets. There’s got to be over 100 pcs. of clothing some never worn, so new with tags still attached. Women’s tops, pants, jeans, shoes. But they are no high end brands. Most, considering how low clothes sell for these days would maybe be $10 or less per item. We target selling items for more than that.
I have them pilled into the living room so we can sit down and go through them. The first thought was to just donate and be done with them. Then Susan said take them up to a local consignment store, and if they sell them, take what we get and we are done with them.
But now you mention “lotting” clothes in bundles we were both wondering what success you have had and about what you were getting for them?
Just curious. We are going to make a decision in the next day or two and the easiest would be just give to the consignment store, then after 4 months I think they pull things that didn’t sell and donate themselves.
Consigning would be the fastest way to get all of them out of our hair, and do so within just a few hours instead of the time to list them.
We try to target items that will sell for more than $30 these days to make listing worth it for us.
So just curious…
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art
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01/03/2019 at 8:20 am #54432
Mike,
I’m curious to know how you do on your MDC website as far as sales go? I’ve often contemplated putting all my listings on a website of my own (shopify or w.p) and seeing if I could drive traffic to it.
Any thoughts? Worth it?
Thanks -
01/03/2019 at 10:56 am #54444
Mike – I listed these on Oct 21-22, so it has only been a little over 2 months. I have 9 lots total, but none have sold yet. Most of them are spring/summer clothing, so maybe that is the reason.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_ssn=upsmartsales&LH_PrefLoc=2&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=details&_sacat=0I listed them using a price per piece in mind, and then added best offer. I’m willing to take up to about half price on each. I did get a $20 offer on a lot of Chico’s clothing with an asking price of $52. Because of the low offer, I countered with a high ball offer, so the sale did not go through. Perhaps I should have countered at the half price mark and then not budged. Anyway:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/183498302668I did go to a used clothing shop first with the same thought you have in mind. The store I went to will buy the items, not consign. I brought in several bags with fall to winter items, and they only took three. However, I did get paid better than garage sale prices for them, about $3-4 each.
https://www.platoscloset.com/Perhaps you have a regular sort of consignment shop near you that would work out better.
If you have all new with tag clothes, in the same size, for the same climate (probably summer or spring since you live in a warm climate, and I remember you saying your daughter moved to Atlanta from Florida), I would lot them up. I think you could do well. You can then choose to lot or consign the used clothes in very good condition.
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01/02/2019 at 2:56 pm #54392
I work through those items by listing a few a day. If I know I only have to list 1 or 2, I don’t mind as much.
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01/02/2019 at 4:02 pm #54405
Thanks everyone for your input. I feel much less bad side-eyeing these 2 boxes of “junk” (junk to me, good stuff to people that look out for this sort of stuff). I’m just going to shame myself by saying what they are, because they are GOOD items, just not “good” for me: North Face Jacket, NIB Carolina Boots, some rare hats, a few other items scattered about that were all incredibly cheap. Stuff that everyone makes a big deal about, but I’m just “meh.”
I agree it becomes a problem if all you have are items you aren’t interested in listing. I just purchased items during a few months of experimenting with items outside of my niche that I never got around to listing. When I thrift now, I only buy items outside of my niche that I KNOW I will list. It has to be interesting to me. I leave a lot of “good” stuff behind that I just know I will never ever deal with after I have bought it, no matter how much it is worth.
At the very least, I did get 40 new items listed today, photographed another 10 items to be listed, priced 20+ items from my backlog to get listed in the next week, and purchased 30 more items in my niche I’ll be happy to list. I LOVE LISTING.
Just.not.these.darn.bolo.items.that.are.boring.-
01/03/2019 at 11:04 am #54446
I sold some Carolina boots about a year ago, very quickly. Work boots do well. Many new items use stock photos. Or you only need two or three photos. You don’t need too much of a description because the style name and size will be mostly what a buyer needs to know. I think you should get list them right away!
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01/02/2019 at 8:55 pm #54420
I have a mini- death pile right now from holiday visitors (30 items?). I had to box a bunch of “in progress” inventory hide for guests and it went to death pile status.
Slowly unpacking it all now and listing it. Hearing the CHA CHING helps. -
01/03/2019 at 6:16 am #54429
First estate sale of the year tomorrow! I wish I could be like “Can I trade you some boots for books?”
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01/03/2019 at 10:18 am #54441
Maybe I’m the odd person here, but I’d gladly list anything that makes me money if I already own it and it isn’t a hassle to take photos and ship.
I don’t discriminate – if I already own it, and I can list it, I’ll try to sell it.
If it doesn’t sell, I take it to the donation center that gives me the best deal – right now, I’m getting $10 off of $25 for every box/bag I bring into my local Salvation Army.
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01/03/2019 at 10:54 am #54443
In my case, part of the problem is the hindrance to an already established workflow I have going on. I have the processes down so much to list what is in my niche that to work on something outside of it must be pretty darn good or at least somewhat interesting to get me out of the work I am used to doing.
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01/03/2019 at 11:09 am #54447
Do what you need to in order to keep your operation running smoothly and clear the mental space that these items are taking up.
Me personally, I like to list the items I dread. I’ll psych myself up when I feel that these items are bothering me and just go all-in on listing the items I dread listing the most.
I have NEVER regretted this action. I feel better after doing it, and every time one of these items sell I get a positive mental boost.
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01/03/2019 at 12:09 pm #54449
almasty, I feel about my death piles exactly as you have described above. (I would add that some of my death-items are ones I have failed at research on. For instance, I have some early American Pressed Glass that I cannot place a pattern to – could be worth $10 or $100 – just don’t know).
I have sometimes managed to get through them by going into “robot mode”. In robot mode, the only programming I allow my brain is “LIST”. I act as if each item is valuable and equally worthy of a listing. I tell myself to “dummy up” anytime I start over-thinking a listing. Then I just work to see how many items I can get posted. This is good for a box full of stuff, but I find that later, when I encounter the same crap in my storage, I still feel like it is a drag. Only when it sells and puts $s in my pocket do I feel like it has been rewarding.
Day in and day out, I want to be passionate about the stuff I sell, even if it is not the biggest money maker, I love finding vintage NIB games, office supplies, household goods. I feel like they are a time capsule of another era. Selling a The North Face jacket or other clothing item is at best a C- experience for me. I think partly because there is so little profit left in some of these things.
Anyway – great thread. Thanks, Daniel.
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01/04/2019 at 8:13 am #54494
Great to hear how people work through this.
One of my resolutions is to winnow things I can’t stand out of the inventory – especially items that are low prices and just won’t sell and items which are a drag ( had it with Limoges !)
Have to accept that some things can be just low return wastes of time.
Thinking of:
Creating eBay lots of like items – 10 ties , 5 caps , 10 LPs from the 80s, etc.
Honestly letting go and donating purely speculative items that I thought were cool but apparently aren’t – maybe another Scavenger has a passion and would love to find them at Goodwill?
Give things to people who want them – leaning this way on books which have not sold in a year at low prices, DVDs ( where did that market go??? ) -
01/04/2019 at 9:39 am #54498
buytikiselltiki – I thought that about limoges as well, and then out of nowehere I sold some overseas. Argh! Just when I am ready to give up. I only do the decorative plates.
I also bundled several donation bags and some items from those bags sold the day before the donation company came. I call those Death Row items.
Re: Bundles! YES. I have had not had any success with Junk Drawer lots, but I have with bundle lots. I really like selling them. I have done mens clothing which seems to do well. All same size/ brand or item (5 Hawaiian shirts XL).
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01/04/2019 at 12:08 pm #54502
I call those Death Row items.
Love it! I may start having to use that term.
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